Archive for the 'Chicago Cubs' Tag Under 'Angels' Category

Jered Weaver failed to put a zero on the board for the third straight inning when the Cubs scored two in the bottom of the fifth to go up 5-1 in Tuesday's contest at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Weaver retired the first two batters in order, but Kris Bryant then demolished the first pitch Weaver showed him. The shot easily cleared the left field wall and bounced between two of the buildings beyond the stands. The big fly stretched Chicago's lead to 4-1.

The video boards at Wrigley announced the homer went 414 feet. It was Bryant's 28th of the year, which is two behind Colorado's Nolan Arenado for the National League lead.

Weaver's worries weren't done there. Anthony Rizzo followed the home run with a double, and Weaver walked Ben Zobrist to put two on with two out.

Jorge Soler then hit a slow-roller between the mound and the plate. Weaver went after it at first but then decided to let first baseman Albert Pujols take it and scrambled to cover first.

After Kole Calhoun hit a solo home run to put the Angels up 1-0 in the first, Cubs' rookie catcher Wilson Contreras matched him with a solo home run off of Jered Weaver in the bottom of the third Tuesday at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Contreras has six home runs in his rookie season. His last came July 4 against Cincinnati.

Weaver had given up home runs in 18 of his first 23 starts, though he'd gone without a homer in his last two starts.

He nearly gave up a second home run in the inning, which would have given Chicago the lead. Kris Bryant knocked a deep fly ball to right-center but

Contreras' homer was the first Weaver has given up against the Cubs in his career. He's had just two prior starts against them.

The Angels were held in check by Cubs pitching for the second night in a row.

In the Angels 6-1 loss at the hands of the Cubs Tuesday night in Anaheim, Chicago starter Jon Lester held the Halos to one run on four hits over seven innings, striking out four. It was the only run the Angels scored in the two-game opening series.

Reigning NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta pitched seven scoreless innings in the opener, allowing two hits and striking out six en route to a 9-0 Cubs victory.

In five previous starts at Angel Stadium, Lester had a 4.76 ERA and 1.62 WHIP.

After the Angels cut the lead to a manageable 4-1, the Cubs exteded the lead to 6-1 in the seventh with a two-run shot from center fielder Dexter Fowler.

Fowler got the green light on a 3-0 count and took advantage of it, sending Mike Morin's pitch into the right field bleachers. Left fielder Matt Szczur, who homered in the third, singled to lead off the inning and was driven in on the long ball.

After a 9-0 Cubs victory to start the season Monday, Tuesday's game is becoming similarly out of reach for the Halos.

Morin had a 6.37 ERA in 2015 but started 2016 with a 1-2-3 inning Monday.

After going scoreless in their first fourteen innings of 2016, the Angels finally pushed a run across in the sixth inning Tuesday night against the Cubs. And they did it with the help of some new faces.

Third baseman Yunel Escobar, whom the Angels acquired from Washington via trade over the offseason, hit a one-out double off of Cubs' starter Jon Lester. Left fielder Craig Gentry, acquired through free agency this offseason, followed and hit Escobar home with a single to left.

Escobar, who spent four and a half seasons in the AL East between the Blue Jays and the Rays, has faced Lester more than any other pitcher in his career.

Going into the at bat, Lester had certainly gotten the better of the matchup. Escobar had managed only 10 hits over 46 at bats (.217) and one double.

Escobar got the better of this at bat, but Lester's side still leads the Angels 4-1 after six.

After a deflating 9-0 loss to Chicago in Monday's season opener, Tuesday's game in Anaheim started with more of the same for the Angels.

The Angels' young starter Andrew Heaney got through the first two innings only allowing one baserunner. On Heaney's first pitch of the third, left fielder Matt Szczur hit a home run (first video).

Heaney followed that by giving up a double to catcher David Ross and a single to center fielder Dexter Fowler. Then, with runners on the corners, second baseman Johnny Giavotella robbed right fielder Jason Heyward of a hit and got the runner at second, however, Ross scored from third to make the score 2-0 (second video).

An out later, first baseman Anthony Rizzo doubled the margin by slugging a two-run shot to center (last video).

Heaney, in the third year of his career, had only given up two home runs in an inning once before. In his rookie year with the Marlins in 2014, he gave up back-to-back home runs to Allen Craig and Jhonny Peralta of the Cardinals on July 15.

Already up 6-0 in the ninth, the Cubs showed no mercy, tacking on three more in the ninth on a bases-clearing double by Matt Szczur off of Corey Rasmus.

Dexter Fowler led off the inning with a walk and went first to third on a one-out single by Ben Zobrist. After Anthony Rizzo popped out, Kris Bryant walked to load the bases, setting the table for Szczur.

Of the five Angels pitchers used in tonight's game, the Cubs scored on four of them, with Mike Morin getting by unscathed. Garrett Richards failed to get past the fifth inning, giving up six hits, three walks, three earned runs but striking out seven. Fernando Salas, Cam Bedrosian and Corey Rasmus combined to give up six runs.

The last time the Angels were shut out on opening day, it was 2002. Angels fans will be hoping history repeats itself.